It must have been a strange sight. One day last month, the Iraqi artist Wamidh Al Ameri stationed himself outside a Jesuit church in the Swiss city of Lucerne. Instead of unpacking his easel and painting one of the most beautiful baroque buildings in Switzerland, he handed passers-by a bright, white umbrella. This, though, was not any old fashioned accessory: there is scripture printed on the fabric, with the classic Islamic crescent moon fixed to its tip.
Confrontational? Not a bit of it, he insisted. In fact, Al Ameri's intention was actually to demystify Islam by bringing it into focus in such a playful way. Yes, his wider work investigates the contemporary side of subjects such as religion, war, rebellion and resignation. But it's never overbearing, or too serious.
"I want to show that the image western people receive from the media is very negative," he says. "Of course, my art cannot completely change this situation, but if it alters the perception of even one person, it will have built a small bridge."
The wry humour also comes from the inference that the financial "umbrella" many western companies and banks shelter under is actually provided by money from wealthy Arab states. Indeed, most of Al Ameri's work displayed in the new Evidence exhibition at AB Gallery Lucerne - an art space devoted to contemporary art from the Islamic world - functions on many levels. Take To Go Astray. At first glance it simply appears to be a loosely Arabic-themed labyrinth. But the history behind the piece reveals an artist exploring big subjects such as faith, history and politics.
"The first incarnation consisted of selected passages from the Al-Kufi chapter of the Quran, which I digitally modified into basic geometric shapes and assembled into a red book," he explains. "It looked like a labyrinth and the idea was to encourage the viewer to draw their chosen path with red pen. What I hoped it might do is encourage people to trace a new way of perceiving and experiencing this holy document."
In its desire to stimulate new ways of thinking, To Go Astray can also be interpreted as a comment on the Islamic world post-Arab Spring. Still, Al Ameri is at pains to point out that he has been very careful with his artistic interpretation of the Quran, the inspiration coming from a "very special" interest in the text. What interests him is not simply religion, but people's relationship to it, especially in Iraq. As well it should - Al Ameri left Iraq as a refugee under the regime of Saddam Hussein. What he saw when he finally returned continues to haunt him. "I was prepared to see the destruction, but it was still difficult to see the changes in the faces of the people," he says. "They seemed marked by fear. Many of my works have been seen like a witness statement of Iraqi history and politics, but even though I now live in Switzerland, the current situation still influences me."
In fact, all of the members of Al Ameri's Urnamo art collective have exiled themselves from Iraq. All of which begs the question: what is the state of the arts scene in Baghdad, post-Saddam Hussein? There have been exhibitions of contemporary Iraqi art in Europe, most notably at Manchester's Cornerhouse in the UK. But the vast majority of it was from the far safer area of Iraqi Kurdistan.
"There are very good artists in Iraq, however, they cannot work freely," says Al Ameri. "They're really restricted in their development and they have little access to the art world. It's no surprise that all the internationally renowned Iraqi artists are refugees: they had to go elsewhere in the world to realise their potential."
Al Ameri thinks that's why galleries such as AB Lucerne are so important, a window on to a world otherwise only viewed on the front pages of newspapers. But might he ever go back, for good?
"I am very grateful that I can stay in Switzerland, although it is still really strange to be here," he says. "I guess the answer is that it's a dream to return to Iraq … one day."
• Evidence by Wamidh Al Ameri is on show at AB Gallery Lucerne, Switzerland, until October 13. Visit www.ab-gallery.com for further details.
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